2 charged with growing nearly 1,500 pot plants in rural Kankakee

Gerardo Correa, 29, and Jose Haro-Gutierrez, 29, have been charged with possession of more than 1,000 marijuana plants with intent to manufacture, according to police and court documents. Police estimated the street value of the marijuana at $7 million.

The two were arrested Monday in Pembroke Township where they were growing 1,468 marijuana plants, according to authorities.

The arrests were made by the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group, which had received aerial photos of the plants by Illinois State Police.

Correa admitted they had planted the marijuana in Styrofoam cups, then transplanted them in May to the property, according to a federal complaint.

Haro-Gutierrez claimed he came to Kankakee with Correa to ride his dirt bike but that it was broken. He then refused to answer more questions, the complaints said.

Police also raided Correa’s home in the 9600 block of South Muskegon Avenue, where they found marijuana plants in two flower pots in the back yard, as well as about 24 pounds of marijuana in the garage, according to the complaint.

In the house, they found $18,500 in cash, about a pound more of marijuana and three boxes of 20-gauge buckshot ammunition.